It had been several hours since Vala left PX8-317, and the sun was now high in the noon-time sky. Colonel Parker looked up and sighed. The last day had been incredibly boring for the man, the only break in the monotony being when they found Vala this morning. They had found her sleeping deep inside of the ruins, quite a ways from the gate. They would have found her on the previous day, after they arrived, but she had been even farther back, exploring. She only approached the gate towards evening, staying close enough to know if it had been activated, but far enough away that she had options if someone other than an SG team came out of the wormhole.
It turned out Vala had found a tablet that Balinsky thought Dr. Jackson would be most interested in. While the man's command of the Ancient's language was no where near as good as the good Dr's, he had gotten enough of a jist to determine that the tablet was somehow related to the one Dr. Jackson had found which set them on this mission. After a brief discussion with Vala, they decided to let her take the tablet back. That would allow his team to stay where they were and continue working, so they could close out this mission sooner rather than later. Balinsky had told Vala a list of things he wanted her to relay to Dr. Jackson. The Colonel smirked as he remembered the conversation; it looked to him like Vala wasn't really paying attention. He doubted she'd remember half of it. Even more amusing, the red-haired archaeologist seemed to have no clue that she wasn't listening. Parker wondered what kind of disjointed story Jackson would get.
The Colonel suddenly remembered how the SG-1 archaeologist was supposed to have originally joined them on the mission. Vala had been just as disinterested during the briefing Jackson gave. The Colonel sighed happily as he reflected on the fact that the man had not come. It was bad enough baby-sitting one nerd. Hopefully Balinksy would finish up soon enough and they could go back. Parker could only imagine how much longer they'd end up staying there if Dr. Jackson were along. Between the two geeks together, they'd probably be there for a week or more.
Parker walked over to where the other two men of his team were standing. They were talking about how things were shaping up for the football playoffs, wondering idly who would make it in. "Look, I'm telling you, the Patriots have a good shot. Did you see the way they handled the Bears last Sunday?" Lieutenant Sanders was saying to Captain Becker.
"Not a chance." Becker smirked. "The Bears have only given up 120 points this season. Show me another team that's done that." Sanders frowned slightly.
"Ah you ladies are both wrong," Parker sneered as he came over. "I'm here to tell you that…"
"Colonel!" Balinsky's voice rang out through the ruins with such urgency that it caused the three men to ready their weapons as they turned in his direction. There they saw the red-headed archeologist several hundred feet away, jumping up and down in excitement.
"Damned geek," Parker muttered, his voice thick with irritation. Shouldering his P90, he started over to where Balinksy was bouncing like an excited child. Looking back at his men the Colonel said, "Keep the Gate secure."
Vala left the conference room quickly. Sam had offered to take her to the women's locker room, but Vala told her she remembered the way. It was at least partly true. Right now, she just needed to be out of that room and away from Daniel.
As she wandered down the hallway, Vala couldn't help but sigh. The months since she first met Daniel had been confusing and frustrating enough, and now she had this little episode to sort through. She had been fighting with herself over her feelings for the scholarly man since she had first met him. Part of her was incredibly attracted to him. By the same token, however, she found him to be uptight and completely humorless. She never could understand how he could spend countless hours in a room by himself, surrounded by nothing other than dusty artifacts and boring books.
Still, she found him very handsome and there was something about him that intrigued her. She could never seem to put her finger on it, but it kept drawing her back to him each time she thought she had enough. The months she had been apart from him in the Ori galaxy were actually painful, and she found that quite surprising if not a little disturbing. She hadn't realized that she'd grown so accustomed to his presence, but perhaps being bound together for those many weeks had a greater affect on her than she realized. That left her more than a little bit unsettled. She had always been independent, not needing anyone and she liked it that way. Needing or wanting other people left one open to hurt and pain. Daniel had pointedly reminded her of that very fact just an hour ago, after they left the infirmary. She realized she should be thankful to him for that. She had been in danger of forgetting it, and of letting him get too close.
Now, however, she had just agreed to join him and his friends for who-knows-what kind of adventure that could last for days or weeks. Why in this universe had she ever agreed to that? Vala figured that maybe Daniel was right, she hadn't enough sleep. Since she wasn't drunk or under any other kind of influence, it was the only rationale she could imagine for why she'd voluntarily agree to spend more time with him at this point.
"Vala!" She almost cringed as she heard Daniel call out to her from behind.
Stopping, Vala turned back to see him standing at an intersection she had just passed. Frowning, she answered in an exasperated tone. "Daniel, really, I'm a big girl. You don't need to apologize."
Clearing his throat Daniel paused, answering flatly, "Actually, I just wanted to let you know you're going the wrong way. The women's locker room is down this corridor," he gestured down the other hallway in the intersection, one that she had just passed by, completely oblivious. She normally didn't let herself get so caught up in thought that she'd miss something so obvious. Here again was an example of the affect he had on her, and it made her more uncomfortable now than ever.
"Oh," she answered simply, looking at the hallway with a blank expression. "Right, then…" she walked back over and was about to pass right by him. Daniel grabbed her arm as soon as he could reach her, however, and pulled her to a stop. She pulled on his grip and refused to look at him, instead just looking down the corridor. "We've got to be ready in an hour, Daniel," she said tensely.
"Vala please, just…hear me out for a moment." She sighed, but said nothing. He continued, "I really need to say this to you...now." She stopped pulling at his grip on her arm, though she didn't look at him. Daniel cleared his throat and spoke, his voice becoming strained. "I do need to apologize for what I said earlier, it was uncalled for, especially considering everything that you've been through…"
"Daniel, I told you, there's no need for…" Vala began, her voice tense. It amazed her how her throat suddenly seemed so tight. Maybe she should just tell Landry that she wasn't going after all. Now that she was back in her own galaxy and she wasn't bonded to Daniel anymore, she could go back out and resume her old life…
"Please, let me finish, I've needed to say this to you since I lost you at the beachhead." Daniel interrupted with a sigh, his voice becoming thick with emotion.
Vala blinked when she heard him, his words surprising her. Something in his voice made her take pause and forget everything she was just considering. She hesitated for a moment, and then slowly turned to face him. She looked up into his eyes, curious in spite of herself. She asked him softly, "Say what, Daniel?"
As she looked into his gaze, the archaeologist cleared his throat. While he hesitated, she took the moment to study his face. She was rather surprised at the emotion she saw there, heavy and unmasked. She felt him slide his hand down her arm, taking her hand in his. She didn't react at all. He looked away for a moment, and turned back to look into her eyes again. "Vala, I need to apologize for how I treated you before. I don't mean just today, but I also mean back at the beachhead." He hesitated, and swallowed hard, continuing tensely, "and I mean before that…a lot before that. The whole time I've known you, I've been nothing but impatient and rude with you."
Daniel paused again, watching her face intently. Vala kept her face completely emotionless, although she was shocked at how difficult it was. She felt all twisted up inside, in spite of still being furious at him and feeling as though she just wanted hit him or run away. He cleared his throat again and continued, "I justified it to myself because of how you acted and everything you said, but that really isn't any excuse for how far I took it. I probably should have taken your teasing in stride, but that's something I've never been any good at." He paused at that, pursing his lips as she sensed the internal frustration on that point. "It's no excuse, though. I never stopped to give you a break. I never tried to reach out to you. You saved our lives back at the beachhead, and you came so very close to dying for it." He took in a deep breath, adding, "Whatever I thought of your actions and your words before, you more than proved yourself then. You made me understand how much I took you for granted."
She could feel the tension in him as he spoke, tight and raw, and it looked as though the emotion behind his words might overwhelm him. He continued, "When the cargo ship was destroyed, I was afraid I'd lost you forever." Vala tilted her head slightly as she heard the way he worded that yet again. "Now, just a few hours after you return as if from the dead, I go and treat you the same way, all over again…like a fool…before I even took the time to tell you all this." His cheeks were flushed as he spoke, and she thought she read shame in his eyes. Clearing his throat, he blinked a few times and Vala swore that his eyes looked a touch wet. He finished simply, "I'm sorry, Vala."
She continued to regard him silently, her face unchanged. Daniel waited for several moments in the still and quiet hallway and then nodded sullenly, his jaw tightening. He looked down and turned to go, withdrawing his hand from hers. Instinctively, Vala grasped his hand tightly, holding on. She surprised herself with that, but continued to hold his hand, nonetheless.
Daniel paused as she gripped his hand, turning back to look at her. She swallowed hard, feeling rather overwhelmed. She had never experienced anyone humbling themselves so before her. Daniel made no attempt to hide his feelings from her; rather he purposefully wore them on his sleeve for her to see. When she heard his voice, she could only hear the ring of truth, with no alternative agenda behind it. It awed her to her core that he would trust her so completely. She could so easily say things at this moment to wound him deeply, he was completely vulnerable and defenseless before her. All he was looking for was from her was understanding and forgiveness for his actions. What amazed her all the more was how she suddenly felt so guilty for her own words and behavior. She simply wasn't used to this.
The moments passed by as she struggled within herself, and she found it increasingly difficult to keep her own emotions hidden. The expressionless mask she wore had started to falter, and she had absolutely no hope of summoning up her usual devil-may-care attitude. She realized that Daniel could see how he had affected her, as he took a step closer to her and grasped her hand more tightly, squeezing back. To her amazement, she continued to squeeze his hand. His eyes watched her intently, his brow furrowed as he waited patiently for her to say something.
Clearing her throat, Vala looked down for a moment, and then tossed her head back up, catching his gaze with hers. "Daniel, that was…" she stopped, not sure how to say what she felt. She looked away again, summoning up her strength, and then looked back into his eyes. "I've never had anyone say anything like that to me before," she said simply, deciding to just say the simple truth, if for no other reason than it just seemed easiest. Clearing her throat, she continued, "That took a lot of courage for you to say…I'm…it…", she swallowed hard,"…it really means a lot to me." She paused, looking into his eyes. He watched her intently, listening to her patiently, squeezing her hand while she gathered herself up to continue. "I…I suppose my own behavior hasn't exactly been exemplary," she admitted, looking down, unable to maintain her gaze into his eyes. How did he affect her so?
Reaching out, she took his other hand with hers, squeezing tightly as she looked up at him. She found his face to be more relaxed, and could feel some of the tension melting away. Swallowing her pride for perhaps the first time in her life, she continued, "I…probably deserved a lot of the way you treated me. I did things that upset you, even though I knew how it would affect you." She paused, then quickly added, "but it's not because I wanted to upset you, at least…not usually. I just…I didn't stop to think before I acted." Looking away for a moment, she blinked as she suddenly realized how much what she said of herself was exactly what Daniel had just apologized for accusing her of. Twisting her lips into a wry grin, she looked back up at Daniel, to find him smiling gently at her. He was thinking the same thing, the bastard.
"I can't promise I won't keep doing it, Daniel. I can't change who I am. Just…", she drew in a deep breath, "just please be patient with me?"
Daniel's smile grew considerably and he nodded slowly. "I think I can do that."
Vala found herself smiling back at him. "Now, as to your apology, I'm afraid I can't accept it…" she grinned at him as his smile disappeared and she finished softly, "…not unless you accept my apology first, that is." She bit her lip as she finished speaking, her heart pounding away in her chest. She could never remember feeling as nervous or scared as she did right now. It was hard for her to believe the words as they left her own lips. In spite of all that, she found her grin had blossomed into one of her dazzling smiles as she watched him happily realize what she had just said. She felt him squeeze her hands tightly, and quietly sucked in her breath as he took a step closer.
She found comfort in the grip of his hands, as well as the smile that crossed his lips. "Apology accepted," he said quietly, staring down into her eyes. She grinned up at him, leaning in a bit closer.
Sighing with great exaggeration, she said melodramatically, "Well, then, I guess I can accept yours…" Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at him, the knot in her stomach just as tight as before. It was very different now, for some reason. She looked deeply into his eyes and realized how close they were, she could feel his breath upon her.
"Daniel!" Sam's voice suddenly filled the hallway behind Daniel, causing the two to jump and step apart. Their hands parted, and Vala found her self suddenly incredibly frustrated. As they parted, she saw Sam had just turned the corner down the hall leading from the briefing room.
"Oh, uh, hi Vala…", Sam's smile disappeared as she realized what she'd interrupted once Daniel stepped aside and she saw her standing there. She stopped dead in her tracks, clearing her throat.
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. He smiled artificially at her. "Hi Sam. I was, uh, just showing Vala where she could find the women's locker room." He glanced over at Vala who smirked wryly, sharing a look with him.
"Really? Huh." Sam recovered quickly and grinned at the two as she started to walk towards them again. "That's funny, because Vala told me she knew where it was."
Vala shrugged, "What can I say? All these hallways look alike." She smiled coyly at Sam. "I know I should have taken you up on the offer, and I'm so sorry for that. I'm just lucky that Daniel happened to find me," she paused and glanced at him, "or else I might have been lost in these hallways for days." Daniel grinned back at her and then nodded several times at Sam.
Sam stopped in front of them. "Uhuh. It's actually very lucky, considering the men's locker room is back the other way," she said, thumbing back over her shoulder. The sarcasm was dripping from her words as she looked from one to the other.
Daniel blinked, looking around suddenly, "Well, darned if you're not absolutely right. Gee, I guess I'd best hurry over there…"
"Yeah, yah probably should," Sam answered, grinning at Daniel, giving him a knowing look.
Daniel turned to Vala. "I guess you can find the rest of the way yourself?"
Vala looked down the short corridor to the door. "Yes, I think I've got it." Her eyes danced as she looked back at him, smiling from ear to ear. Daniel met her gaze and smiled back, though his cheeks were a bit flushed. In hindsight, Sam's interruption might not have been so bad, Vala consoled herself. She at least got to watch Daniel squirm some more. That wasn't nearly as good as what was cut short, but it would do in a pinch. Speaking of which…
Daniel suddenly jumped and let out a yelp as Vala goosed him. "You okay there, Daniel?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yup", he answered as he glanced sideways at Vala who was smiling the well practiced, 'Who me?' smile, all dripping with innocence and sugary-sweet charm.
A few moments passed as the two continued to exchange looks, Daniel partly glaring at Vala while she just smiled back at him. "You should really get going," Sam prompted Daniel.
Breaking his gaze away from Vala, Daniel looked at Sam. "Right," he muttered. As he turned to go, he flashed Vala one last look, and grinned in spite of himself. He then proceeded down the hall.
"Has he always been like that?" Vala asked Sam as he turned the corner.
"Sort of," she replied. "I think you bring it out in him."
Vala raised an eyebrow at Sam's words. "Really?"
"Come on," Sam said, pulling Vala towards the locker-room. "We need to get ready. We'll talk while we suit up."
The cargo ship coursed along its way through hyperspace, the blurred light from the stars dancing across the cockpit's forward window. The pilot inside glanced at the chronometer, grunting quietly to himself. They were just about in position, and exactly on time. It was the way he liked things - precise, by the numbers, and without any mistakes.
He glanced back behind him to the dozens of armed soldiers that he carried, and nodded in grim satisfaction as he saw them making their final preparations. After months of training, he finally felt they were ready. There again, the timing was perfect, as his employer would accept no more delays. This had to be done now. As it was, they may have waited too long.
The grizzled old warrior shook his head. It was a bold move, one that he admired but one that he also felt was perhaps doomed to failure. Still, he understood why this was important for his patron, and could see the possibilities if it was successful. Strategically it made sense. Tactically…things could get very ugly.
A screen flashed to life before him, the blue lighting from the display illuminating his gnarled and scared face. He glanced at the incoming message and nodded with satisfaction. His counterpart was in position. Everything was falling into place, exactly according to plan. This might just work after all.
Right on schedule, the cargo ship dropped out of hyperspace and instantly cloaked it self. The invisible craft then started its descent into Dakara's atmosphere.
"Are you saying you don't want Vala on your team?" Landry asked Mitchell flatly. General Landry and Colonel Mitchell were standing in the conference room. The rest of SG-1 had already left to get ready, but Mitchell had stayed behind to talk with the General.
Shaking his head, Mitchell answered, "No sir, that's not what I said. What I'm saying is, I'd appreciate you checking with me next time you want to change my team. Or, at least give me a heads up before-hand so that I'm not completely blind-sided."
Casting a glare at Mitchell as he left the conference room table and started heading down the stairs, Landry replied, "Watch your tone, son. There just wasn't any chance between when I got off the phone with Hammond and when I sat down with you and your team."
Mitchell followed hot on Landry's heels, "Sorry about my tone, sir, but with all due respect, you could have simply called me into your office after you finished with the General and at least given me some clue as to the bomb you were about to drop on us."
Landry walked from the stairs into the middle of the Gateroom command center. "Walter, dial up Dakara and raise them on the teleconference system we've got out there."
"Dialing Dakara now, sir," Walter replied as the Gate's inner wheel had already unlocked and started to spin.
Landry turned back to Mitchell and said, "Look, to be honest it never even occurred to me to add her to your team until I was half-way through explaining the Jaffa issue to all of you. It suddenly clicked then that I'd heard mention of the Alliance's involvement and adding her to the team seemed like a natural choice." As he paused, Walter was announcing the second chevron encoding. "Now, you called that 'dropping a bomb on you', is there something going on that I should know about? Some reason she shouldn't go with you?"
Blinking at the question, Mitchell's expression changed from irritation to uncertainty. "Well, I don't know if you noticed, but she and Dr. Jackson were particularly…grumpy towards each other during the briefing."
Chuckling, Landry replied, "Son, if I had a nickel for every time those two were at each other's throats, I wouldn't have to worry about my pension." He paused, half turning back to the window. He then turned back and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Or do you think this is something…different?"
Mitchell suddenly remembered the debate he and Teal'c had with Carter, and could tell by Landry's tone that's what he was referring to. "To be honest, I don't know sir. If it is, there's nothing we can do about it other than not taking one or both of them with us. I don't like the idea of not taking Dr. Jackson, but if it is…" he struggled with the wording, but then just stayed with, "…something different then not taking Vala may be just as bad. He could get distracted either way." Walter could be overheard announcing the fifth chevron encoding between replies.
"Speaking of distracted, can you manage Vala?" Landry asked Mitchell bluntly.
He nodded, "I believe so, sir. Besides, Daniel typically can manage her on his own, so I don't think it'll be an issue."
"Do you think you can handle the two of them together?" Landry asked, continuing with his blunt line of questioning.
Mitchell nodded again and quickly answered, "Yes, Sir, of course. I can handle it no problem." Walter announced the seventh chevron locking and the sound of the Stargate activating filled the chamber.
Landry nodded as the active Stargate shimmered behind him on the other side of the window. "Good. Next time, I'll try and keep you in the loop, Colonel. I don't want my men feeling like they don't get the respect they deserve." The Colonel nodded in thanks.
"I have Dakara on the line, sir," Walter announced to Landry, looking up at him.
"Thank you," he nodded at the Sergeant. Mitchell lingered while Landry turned to the monitor with a camera on it and started to speak.
Bra'tac waited with Thomas Schlesinger by the Stargate on Dakara. The two of them stood together near the DHD, with a dozen Jaffa soldiers about the room, stationed at the various doors and along the walls. Thomas checked his watch, SG-1 was overdue by a good ten minutes. Turning to Bra'tac he said, "My apologies, Master Bra'tac. I don't know why they're late."
Glancing from the Gate to Thomas, the old Jaffa snorted. "You needn't apologize for them, Thomas. You do not know them as I do; if they are late it is not a problem. I am certain that it is for good cause."
Thomas didn't respond to that. While he could hear the sincerity and reverence in his voice as the Jaffa spoke of his fellows from Earth, he still felt slightly embarrassed, nonetheless. As Earth's representative to the Jaffa nation, he didn't like how this reflected on their people or their efforts to help the Jaffa. Frowning slightly, he resumed watching the Stargate in silence.
Looking at him, Bra'tac read his expression. "You do not believe my words," he said simply.
Glancing back to Bra'tac again, Thomas answered, "I never said that…"
Bra'tac chuckled, "It is written clearly on your face, Thomas of Connecticut." He grinned widely, "Let me assure you that SG-1 and Stargate Command has more than proved itself a friend of the Jaffa and has done more to secure our alliance than you can imagine. It was as much because of them as it is anyone that the Jaffa are free."
Thomas nodded. Just then, the Stargate sprang to life, the chevrons lighting up one by one, the chamber resonating with the sound of each in turn. As the seventh chevron started glowing, the customary whoosh sound filled their ears as the wormhole formed and the blowback exploded forth, falling back to form the familiar event horizon. Thomas and Bra'tac waited expectantly for SG-1 to emerge, but were greeted instead with the teleconference kiosk springing to life with General Landry's face upon it. The kiosk had been brought by Schlesinger's team as a way to facilitate communications between Earth and Dakara. "This is General Landry from the SGC, would someone please respond?"
Bra'tac and Thomas walked over to the device. "Greetings Landry," the Jaffa nodded at him. He could see Colonel Mitchel standing behind the General. "I take it that SG-1 is not quite ready to come to Dakara." Bra'tac noticed out of the corner of his eye that Thomas was frowning.
"I'm afraid so, Master Bra'tac. They'll be ready within the hour, however."
Bra'tac nodded at this. "It is not anything I am concerned about. I understand that our request was sudden and unexpected."
"Nonetheless, please do accept my apologies, we'll be heading right over there as soon as the team is ready," the General offered.
Bra'tac nodded and started to speak, but suddenly he heard commotion and shouting from the far side of the room and what sounded like weapon fire. Half turning he saw motion out of the corner of his eye and grabbed Thomas, pulling him to the floor with him as several staff shots peppered the area. The Jaffa guard standing next to him was killed instantly as several blasts marred the walls, but Bra'tac grabbed the staff weapon from the warrior's now lifeless fingers and whirled to return fire. In the doorway, he saw several humans in uniforms he'd never seen before fighting with his Jaffa guards. Taking aim, he slew two humans where they stood, allowing his fellows to handle the others. More fighting was starting in other doorways, however, and a loud rumbling sound could be heard outside the building. Bra'tac swore he heard loud blasts from outside, and he gritted his teeth.
Turning back to the monitor, the old Jaffa said quickly. "It might be prudent for SG-1 to come a bit more quickly now, General."
A shocked Landry nodded as he watched the action on the monitors in the Gateroom bunker. "We'll hold the gate open and send in teams as quickly as possible, before the 38 minutes are over." Bra'tac nodded and disappeared from view, charging into the fray. Landry glanced down at the clock and saw that the timer was already at five minutes and thirty-six seconds. Turning to Mitchell behind him, he saw that the Colonel was already flying halfway down the stairs out of the Gateroom, "I'm invoking Code Gamma Omega!" Landry shouted at him.
"Right!" Mitchell hollered back, disappearing from view.
Landry turned back to Walter and gave him the order. The Sergeant nodded wordlessly and started typing away furiously at his console. After entering a few commands, all levels and rooms in the base filled with flashing red lights and the familiar klaxon started to sound. The veteran technician then flipped a switch and started making the announcements through his headset.
Landry listening quietly as he watched the clock. The wormhole counter read seven minutes and twelve seconds. The General gritted his teeth and powerlessly watched the counter climb while the battle raged on the monitor screen, cursing the fact that he could do nothing but wait.
Sam and Vala were grinning as they both got ready for going off-world. Sam had found a set of BDUs for Vala, and they were both in the midst of changing. The two had been chatting since they entered the empty locker-room, and were hitting it off so far.
"So you've known Daniel for nine years?" Vala asked as she started buttoning up her shirt.
Blinking, Sam paused and then nodded, "Yeah, I guess it has been about that long." She was pulling on her boots, starting to lace them up.
"Then you know him pretty well?" Vala tried to sound innocent and nonchalant as she asked, but the question was too loaded given the circumstances for that act to be convincing. She had finished with her shirt and was reaching for the boots that Carter had set out for her.
Carter grinned to herself as she started to lace up the second boot. "As well as anyone, I suppose. Why?"
Vala shrugged as she pushed her arms through the vest and hefted it over her shoulders, "No reason, really." Sam made eye contact with Vala and raised an eyebrow. Clearing her throat, Vala said, "Alright, fine. You said I had an effect on him. I was wondering just what you'd meant."
Sam grinned from ear to ear a she reached for her vest, "Well, for starters," just as Sam was about to explain herself, suddenly the locker room was filled with red-flashing light and the klaxon sounded screamed out.
Walter's voice boomed through the area, "Attention all base personnel! Base Code Gamma Omega has been activated! SG teams one, five, seven, twelve, and nineteen report to the Gateroom immediately for offensive operations. SG teams fourteen and twenty-one prepare for backup support. All Gateroom defense teams report to the Gateroom on the double! Infirmary teams prepare and stand-by to receive wounded, Jaffa and human."
"SHIT!" Carter swore, surprising Vala almost more the sudden burst of noise and sound had surprised her.
"What's all this about, then?" Vala asked urgently as she tugged on her boots.
"Base Code Gamma Omega is a phonetic that stands for Gateroom Offensive." Carter started as she grabbed the last few items out of her locker. "It's a protocol we developed and practiced with our off-world allies for situations where they needed our support. We designed it for rather dire situations, it basically means one of our friends' gates have been compromised and we need to take it back. This can't be good."
Vala wordlessly listened to Carter as she spoke, starting to feel her adrenaline pumping as she could feel the tension in Sam. Finishing with her last boot, she asked, "How's this work?"
Carter shouldered and started to zip up her vest, answering quickly, "We dial the Gate of the site that needs help and send in enough force to secure the area. Then we hold the gate as long as it can stay open, getting the wounded ready for transport back as needed, or try to push out the front line further from the Gate, depending on what the situation calls for."
"What happens when the 38 minutes are up?" Vala asked.
"The teams at the remote gate dial the SGC back up, and hold that gate open as long as needed. Then the SGC dials back to the other site, and back and forth until we're done whatever's going on." She grabbed her helmet at the last and turned to Vala, "We don't actually wait the full 38 minutes, we instead coordinate with the SGC and cut the gate off a bit short at a planned time, and the SGC dials back immediately. That way, we can pretty much be sure someone else won't be able to dial in and get a connection."
"Clever," Vala said simply, nodding at Carter's explanation. She then grabbed the last item from the pile of clothes that Carter gave her, a soft hat.
"Not that, you're wearing this now." Sam said, suddenly tossing her a spare helmet which Vala caught with surprise, dropping the hat.
Looking at the funny shaped head gear and knocking the hard shell she looked at Sam, "You're serious?"
"Very, that thing could well save your life. Come on!" Sam turned on her heal and started out of the locker-room. Vala shrugged and put the helmet on, following hot on Carter's heels. Sam had just reached the door when it flew open, almost hitting her, and several women charged in. Sam caught the door and let them go through and each of them ran to a locker. "Hurry up, ladies, there's no time to waste!" Carter shouted as she hustled out the door.
Vala heard a "yes ma'am" behind them as she followed Sam, running down the corridor after her.
Daniel walked briskly down the corridor as he left Sam and Vala. Upon turning the corner, he let a wide smile cover his face. Inhaling deeply, he remembered fondly the feeling of Vala's nearness, of her hands in his. Sam's timing couldn't have been worse, but it was no big deal in the long-run. It was more important to him that he'd actually managed to successfully reach out to Vala, that he'd actually gotten her to put aside her façade for a little while, at least. He'd just have to be patient for the rest, as he'd promised her - he had no doubt when she said she couldn't change. Ah well, he'd just have to learn to take it in stride.
Suddenly the corridor he was walking through was bathed in red flashing light as the klaxon went up. He heard Walter's voice fill the space and broke into a dead run as he heard the words "Base Code Gamma Omega." His mind only partially heard the rest of it, but he clearly heard the reference to SG-1 in the list of primary offense teams.
Reaching the mens locker-room he burst through the door and ran head-first into Teal'c, who was already suited up and leaving. The archaeologist nearly bounced off of the large Jaffa, whose thick, baritone voice stated flatly, "You are most late in getting ready, Daniel Jackson."
"Yeah, what's up with that?" Colonel Mitchell shouted from the corridor as he ran into the locker-room.
Daniel didn't pause as he answered; rather he recovered and ran past the Jaffa, straight to his locker and started suiting up. "Well, what can I say? I got a little side-tracked."
"Yeah, about that," Mitchell replied, noting that Teal'c was waiting for the two of them. "Are things cool between you and your girlfriend now?"
Daniel snorted as he finished switching shirts, "What makes you think things weren't cool before? And by the way, not my girlfriend."
Mitchell was already buckling his belt and reaching for his boots as he retorted smartly, "Yeah, whatever, Daniel. Why do I think things are messed up? Oh, I dunno, just the fact that she looked like she was ready to skin you alive back there in the conference room. Usually it's the other way around, so I figured things had to be really bad this time."
Daniel was lacing up his boots as he answered. "Ah, you know how it is. A girl comes back home from another galaxy, there's bound to be some pent-up tension."
Mitchell finished lacing up his boots and grabbed his vest, slinging it over his shoulders and zipping it up. "Well, just so long as you two kissed and made up." He grabbed his helmet and turned to see Daniel starting for the door, shouldering his vest with his helmet in his hand. Cameron stopped Daniel by grabbing his arm. Other SG team members were starting to pour into the locker-room at that point. Mitchell looked Daniel dead in the eyes. "Seriously, you're sure everything's cool, right? We're going to have enough of a fight on our hands without you two having your own little 12 rounds going down."
Sighing, Daniel returned Mitchell's stare with one of his own. "Yes, Cam, everything is fine. Can we go now, please?"
Taking one last moment to assess Daniel, Mitchell released him and grinned, slapping him on the shoulder. "Sorry, buddy, just gotta be sure."
Daniel pursed his lips, nodding. "Yeah, sure." He hustled out of the locker room at that and Cameron lingered behind for just a moment, turning at the door to shout at the men that had just stampeded into the room. "I want everyone in the Gateroom in two minutes!" He then spun on his heel and followed behind Daniel, charging past Teal'c who was waiting for him and holding the door. Teal'c followed behind the other two, letting the locker room door swing shut of its own accord.